Overview
- Three weeks ago the IAEA and Syria signed an agreement, brokered by the Trump administration, to extract radioactive material stored at a clandestine location known as Site 99.
- U.S. and Israeli officials say the stockpile includes yellowcake and other residues linked to the defunct Al-Kibar reactor that cannot make a nuclear warhead but could be used in a dirty bomb.
- Israel monitored Site 99 for more than two years and warned it would strike again if the material remained, while the U.S. pressed restraint and secured IAEA technical oversight.
- IAEA teams are preparing and beginning the operation now, U.S. officials say the material has not yet been removed and they expect the extraction to start and finish before the end of the year.
- The episode builds on the 2007 Israeli strike on Al-Kibar and ongoing IAEA verification work, and it reduces immediate radiological risks for nearby civilians while lowering the chance of a new regional military confrontation.